


when she left, she wept

by vernella



Category: She-Ra and the Princesses of Power (2018)
Genre: F/F, adora and catra are exes, childhood friends to lovers to enemies to lovers i guess??, essentially the crew go to beast island and hope to not die, pirate au!!, they're stubborn lesbians who take forever to acknowlege their feelings
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-03-10
Updated: 2021-03-10
Packaged: 2021-03-16 17:34:29
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,494
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29953488
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/vernella/pseuds/vernella
Summary: It’s been 3 long years since Adora left her home, having become one of the most revered and cunning pirates in all of Etheria. When a devastating attack leaves Adora and her crew in dire need of money, she accepts a job from the Queen of Brightmoon, thinking it'll be like any other mission she’s done. Little does she know she’ll end up working alongside the girl she once loved.
Relationships: Adora/Catra (She-Ra)
Kudos: 19





	when she left, she wept

**Author's Note:**

> i posted the beginning of this fic last year but decided to take it down cause i didn't have any time to update it :( starting it again with the hopes that i can actually continue to write, hope that you enjoy reading!!
> 
> title is taken from a poem by sappho

Glimmer knew that being the youngest princess ever in Brightmoon’s history to take on the throne wouldn’t be an easy job, but she couldn't walk away from what she has been so diligently trained for since birth.

When her mother passed, leaving Glimmer unexpectedly an orphan, several councillors repeatedly told her that there were other better-fitted candidates for the throne, those older and more experienced for the job of overseeing an entire kingdom. But she couldn’t quite bring herself to let go of the position.

Deep down she knew it was selfish and greedy, but if she didn’t become the queen, she’d become truly lost and alone. It was the only connection she had left to her deceased parents.

While gaining control and power to do good for the citizens of Brightmoon was something she’d wanted for years, she couldn’t help but feel wrecked with guilt that her dreams had arrived at the expense of her mother's death.

It was grueling at times, dealing with the grief and pain that would sometimes make days seem never ending, but Glimmer was determined to be the best leader she could. It had been a couple months now, almost a year, that Glimmer had been acting as Queen. She often hoped that her parents would be proud of the work she was doing.

Though she had come across many problems and complications during her reign, nothing had been as difficult as what was presented before her today.

‘’What do you mean Brightmoon is collapsing?” exclaimed Glimmer.

‘’Well, I mean exactly that, your majesty. As you know, my team and I have been doing research on Brightmoon’s magical integrity but we recently came across a quite alarming issue. It appears that the magical runestone that powers all of Brightmoon is dying,’’ the last part was sheepishly mumbled by Alan, the scientist that had come running into the castle at an ungodly hour minutes before, frantically requesting a meeting with Glimmer.

‘’I’m aware of what the runestone’s importance is to Brightmoon, but why would it be dying now? It’s supposed to last for a century and it’s not even half that age.”

‘’Your majesty, I surmise that the, uh, passing of the late Queen Angella may have resulted in this. It’s been proposed by many scientists that the runestones have an innate connection to it’s ruler. It may be time to find a new runestone.’’

At the mention of her mother, Glimmer froze. It had not occurred to her that Brightmoon might not want her as it’s leader.

Letting out a sigh, she thought back to the lessons she had received as a child from skilled scholars and tutors. She recalled hating having to spend time in the classroom, reading dull history textbooks and practicing proper etiquette, rather than participating in war meetings and overseeing frontline action with her mother.

With Alan nervously fidgeting about in the peripheral of her view, one particular lesson came to mind. The runestones that powered Brightmoon were salvaged from an island called Beast Island. However, the island was heavily guarded and only ceased it's defences once every decade. Trying to get in now would be incredibly difficult. Glimmer had never thought that the task of obtaining a new runestone would occur during her lifetime. It was an enormous duty and the possibility of failure frightened her.

Finally, turning to Alan, Glimmer asked him the question she didn’t want to ask.

‘’How long do I have?’’

‘’You have 3 months, your majesty. I suggest you put out a search for the best and bravest in all of Etheria.’’  
—  
‘‘Aaahhhh!!’’

Adora charged at the bulky man wielding two razor-sharp blades in front of her. Steps increasing in speed as she approached her opponent, she unleashed her trusted sword at him, aiming to rid the man of his weapons.

In swift, precise movements that were the result of years of grueling practice, she used the tip of her sword to knock the blades out of his hands. Surprised and empty handed, the man froze realizing he was done for. Seizing advantage of his pause, Adora toppled him quickly to the ground, using her free arm to hold him down at the neck.

5 long seconds passed.

The referee, a tall lanky woman dawning an orange bandana lifts her right arm, signaling Adora’s win.

Cheers of various languages and tones from all corners of the square erupt.

Adora stands up, grinning at the win and helps her exhausted opponent up. The man, though clearly in a worn-out state, manages to meet Adora’s smile with one of his own. ‘’I have heard of your unbeatable skills for a while now, but it seems words do not do justice of your abilities”, the man let out in a breathless voice. ‘’I am honoured to have been able to fight with you Shera!’’

‘’Thanks for the match! You were a pretty good opponent,’’ replied Adora, shaking his hands.

Walking away from the mat, Adora found Bow among the crowd, cheering loudly and smiling at her. As she approached him, he leaped to give her a giant hug. ‘’Adora, you really held back there, didn’t you?’’ Chuckling at her best friend's statement, she tucked her beloved sword back into its sheath, ‘’Bow if I went all out, the match would be a lot shorter and a lot less entertaining. There's a crowd for a reason.’’

‘’Well, I suppose you’re right. Hey, let’s celebrate! Perfuma made a bet with me that if you won another round, she’d give us a free meal. Let’s go!’’

‘’Alright, we’ll go. I’ll just quickly change and be right back, ’’Adora said pointing to her sweaty state.

‘’Cool, I'll meet you there. I'll probably have to haggle with Perfuma for a while anyway. She won't believe me that you won.’’ Waving, Bow heads out to the restaurant, the golden quiver of bows secured safely to his back getting smaller with each step as he disappears into the late night crowd.

Making her way to the inn they were staying at, Adora mulled over her schedule. She and Bow had arrived at the Crimson Waste just a few days ago with the plan of picking up much needed supplies and essentials.

But the most daunting task they had was obtaining the money they needed to get a new ship. A month ago, she and her crew had been targeted by another pirate crew and her ship had endured terrible damage, in addition to several crew members being injured.

The worst part was that the attack had a humongous toll on Adora’s confidence in her abilities as a captain. She ultimately disbanded the crew and told them to find other ships to work on. Seeing her crew suffer when knowing she could have done more to prevent it made her feel unworthy of being a captain. At one point she had even told Bow to leave, but he insisted on staying with her.

It had been Bow's idea to spend some time away from the water to get her mind off of what had happened. Coming to the Crimson Waste had proved to be really good for Adora.  


Quickly jogging up to her small room, she opened the door and began searching for some new clothes to change into from the trunk placed at the end of the bed.

Picking out a simple and comfortable set of attire, Adora changed and hid her sword and was about to leave when she realized that she should bring some money in case Bow couldn’t win over Perfuma. Smiling at her friend's amusing shenanigans, she rummaged around in her trunk only to have something fall and drop onto the wooden floor.  


Frozen in her spot, it doesn't take Adora long to realize that it was a necklace.

It had been a gift. A precious gift. _She_ had given it before Adora had to leave. Leave behind what was possibly the best thing she ever had in her life. But now there was no going back.

It had been 3 years, yet the sight of the sapphire embedded necklace took her down more than her earlier fight had.

Memories of warmth, love and pain flooded her mind, memories she clearly hadn't gotten over if a simple necklace was enough to unravel her.

Pushing her unwarranted thoughts to the back of her mind, she picked up the necklace to hide it amongst her other belongings, wondering why she couldn’t simply give the necklace away.

She couldn’t spend more time thinking about her when Adora had decided to take on another path.

Knowing Bow would pick up on the shift in her mood, she took a deep breath and shook her head, attempting to gain back some of the calmness she had possessed earlier.  


If seeing a single necklace was enough to break Adora down, she didn’t like to wonder what would happen if she actually saw her again.

But that didn’t matter, she wouldn't.


End file.
